Irwin & Nicola talk about making a renovation job as simple and clean as it can be. They also give some great advice on how to plan your project well and work effectively with professionals.

Video Transcription

[Music playing] Nicola: Welcome to Design2Share Q&A. I am Nicola. Irwin: And I am Irwin. Today we are asking the question, “what can make my renovation less intimidating?’ Nicola: Generally speaking, everything should be laid down as clearly as possible to the client, whether it is specifications, architectural drawings so that the client understands exactly what they got in. Irwin: Not only the client of course, the contractor too. Everybody should be on the same page basically wise. Nicola: The client should not be afraid to ask questions if they see something in a plan they do not understand it that also is very important. Irwin: Oftentimes, the contractor will say, “Well look, it was in the drawings, did you not see, did you not know?” So, one good idea as well is to have a set of specifications that are written specifications. Almost like writing a letter to a friend and telling him exactly what is happening in your job and exactly what you are expecting to receive, right down to the telboss or to the locks being changed. Whatever other details that you are looking to do. Another thing is to work with a contractor, do not look on the time and the material basis, which was a very traditional way of doing it. Rather, get a fleck-free coat for the entire job and also having those specification really helps that. If you get about 90% of what you are expecting, you should be quite happy. I think you should just sort of give up and say, “Fine”, when you should really strive to get that 110%, but the thing is that it is not like not an automobile coming off a conveyor belt. It really is a custom handmade object. You just save out of 5-10% for errors and omissions as what it is called. In case that you have forgotten something, the contractor has forgotten something and also if they open a room for example and you find there are pipings to be changed. So, it is just the pay to take charge and keep some money assigned for that. Nicola: We can talk a little bit about the details that make a project so special. For instance, the hardware such as you might use an obstacle at home, we have a nice oil rubbed bronze which and also I think it is a French style. Irwin: You have a gold chrome voltaic this is a typical French door and it opens just like that. You could see over here is no harder than the outside which is great. And the star really works as well. The other thing is that we have a plaster ceiling and that is Rome and on the walls. So it creates a continuity and gets a sense of height. Nicola: I love what you did actually, how it is sort of molded around. You have not used the crown molding in this instance. Actually there is that division between the ceiling and the wall. Irwin: One of the nice things we did here as well is we have also for this sort of country style space. We have the wooden floor bowl set out random with planks and I have got a wire brush technique that gives it that lovely old feel, but it is actually quite new. It is white coat and it is actually being treated with a water base polyurethane that does not sit back for the harm and it does not have a tear. Absolutely. Nicola: If we can move to fireplace and have a look at it. This was custom done a limestone fireplace and actually if you can find a local stone mason, sometimes, it can be fairly inexpensive, if you could find the right person. Irwin: Right, maybe here we have also got this lovely brickwork which is the Herringbone brick, which is great. It just elevates at a little bit from the usual, typical breath away is usually stacking what is cool and running bond actually. That works and also the huff. The huff is actually flashed with the floor. The house should be sort of raised about a foot or so as it have been raised huff. Typically raised huff or should be absolutely flashed. When you see the slabs who have been sitting on the floor, it is actually quite a hazard. Nicola: it is, that you have been into many house and has so many trip and people do not know it is that. We have Reesa’s lighting, which is very discreetly done with the plaster ceilings particularly now. Irwin: Use the little ones rather than a large one to the black trim. And of course having these lights flashed with the ceiling makes it a little less obtrusive. Talking of this trivia also have this linear diffuser which is in air conditioning vent and the air conditioning vent is long and skinny so it does not look like it is typical, sort of commercial air conditioning vent. It is a bit more expensive. It is probably about another $200 per vent, but it really is worthwhile. In summary, we want to say that doing a construction or renovation project is time consuming. It is expensive. It is a lot of headache, but it is worth it. Nicola: We should mention that time is money. If you can try to make those decisions along the way fairly quickly and does speed up your renovation process. Irwin: Absolutely. Nicola: Thank you for watching Design2Share Q&A. I am Nicola. Irwin: And I am Irwin. Female 1: For remodeling, decorating, home care and gardening tips that are eco-friendly, a Tip2Share is National Geographic’s the green guide. We recommend both the print and the online version of the magazine, which is at the greenguide.com, but the printing online versions are treasure troves of great information for both yourself and anyone who is contemplating a home remodeling project. Male 1: In the green guide online, check out the articles and the videos that cover informative topics ranging from eliminating harmful chemical in your bedroom. It may be depriving you of a good night sleep to the energy star rating soon in this energy efficient appliances. You will find homeowner stories and how they tackled renovation project and even on very tight budget, how they manage to go green. We found this to be very inspiring.